Mr Rees, from Rhosneigr, Anglesey, was captured with two colleagues after his Wellington Bomber was shot down over Norway in 1942 during a mine laying operation.

Ken Rees pictured at RAF Gan in the Maldives, where he was station commander in 1966

His colleagues were killed and Mr Rees soon found himself at Stalag Luft III, at Sagan, in Poland, which was designed especially for captured airmen.

His son Martyn, 68, said just like McQueen’s portrayal of “Cooler King” Hilts, in the 1963 film, his father refused to be browbeaten by the Germans and loved to goad his captors.

This would usually see him letting down their bicycle tyres or pulling faces at his captors.

Also like McQueen’s character, it meant he ended up spending a lot of time in solitary confinement. His hostility to his captors was rooted in the death of his pilot brother-in-law, who had been machine-gunned by a German aircraft after bailing out of a burning Hurricane.

Martyn, whose father always played down the McQueen link, said: “He was always a fighter. He was a tough guy and he saw his role as making it as difficult as possible for the Germans.”

He was fortunate to survive the breakout - he was the last man to come out of the tunnel while German shots rang out around him after they discovered the escape attempt.

Mr Rees rushed back along the tunnel on all fours to the camp after the Germans opened fire.

Only three of the 76 who escaped reached Britain - the remainder were recaptured, with 50 killed.

In earlier interviews Mr Rees, who flew 56 missions, said his abiding memories of his time as a prisoner of war revolved round constant boredom, hunger and visits to solitary.

Mr Rees, whose wife died aged 92 in 2012, also enjoyed a top flight rugby union career representing the likes of London Welsh, Birkenhead Park and Cheshire County as a flanker.

His playing style is said to have embodied the defiance and aggression that made him a thorn in the side of the Germans. He became the first North Walian to captain London Welsh and had a trial for Wales that saw him fail to make the breakthrough with an injured thumb.

After the war Mr Rees, who died of multiple organ failure on Saturday, went back in the airforce with a V-bomber squadron at RAF Marham, in Norfolk. He retired from the military in the mid-60s, taking over a small post office in Bangor-on-Dee, Wrexham, with Mary. Later the pair sold up and bought Rhosneigr’s Sandy Mount sailing club.

As well as his son, Mr Rees is survived by daughter Suzanne Rees, 65, grandchildren Christopher Kosowan, 36, and Annalyn Brine, 38, and four great-grandchilren.

Martyn, a human resources director with a software company, said his father remained modest about his role at Stalag Luft.

He said: “His fame is for the Great Escape, although when they came back from the war it was termed the “Great Escape” by Hollywood. They were all very quiet about it so he played it down.